Sunday, March 5, 2023

The 'Moplah Riots of 1921' retold!

The Moplah Riots of 1921 was all along been tom tommed as a part of the numerous resistances staged all over the country as part of India's freedom struggle. That the whole incident was a cold blooded massacre of innocent Hindus by Muslims was kept hidden all this while from public view! The saga of the making of the film - which faced numerous obstacles, from governments to political parties - is given below in the succeeding paragraphs.  

The film, "1921 Puzha Muthal Puzha Vare" was released on 03 Mar in 80 theatres across Kerala, a project that has faced numerous challenges from financial struggles to political obstacles.

The film is based on the notorious criminal, Variyankunnath Kunjahammad Haji. who was responsible for the 1921 Mappila riots that resulted in numerous Hindu killings, rape and forced religious conversions. While three of the film's producers intended to portray Haji as a freedom fighter, one producer, Sri Rama Simhan, formerly known as Ali Akbar, insisted on depicting the true facts about him and the riots.

Rama Simhan faced significant financial challenges to make the film a reality but with the support of proud Hindu people and prestigious organisations worldwide that wanted to uncover the truth, he managed to complete the film on a shoestring budget. However, the film hit another roadblock at the Kerala Censor Board, which was controlled by the left government. Through the intervention of the High Court and the Modi Government, the film finally received approval for release.

Additionally, the Hindi version of the film is currently going through the censor board screening process and should be released in two weeks' time. 

As for international release plans, Rama Simhan is fully focused on the Kerala release and has not yet worked out the details for international distribution. However, there are ongoing discussions with a team that handles USA releases to explore possibilities.

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The original movie is of 3 hours 16 minutes. After two cuts by the censor, it is now 2 hours 56 minutes long. No heroes in this factual movie. The truth is slowly coming out.

My take

How long can the truth be suppressed? And despite the all round connivance to call it a freedom movement!


Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle late, the chores and was ready by 10.  

Our gardener, Ramesh got us food from the temple's 'ulsava kalavara' which was very nice. Nice of him, too.

A quiet evening. Helped Lekha to water the plants.

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